On the Waterfront Page #6

MEDIUM CLOSE—EDIE AND FATHER BARRY

Watching him go. Around them are at least one hundred rejected men who

linger in resentful silence. Some of them are rubbing hands bruised in

the melee. A truck, hurrying into the pier, sounds its horn loudly. The

men barely avoid being run down.

BIG MAC:

(angrily, to the rejected group)

Outa the way. Come back tomorra.

Father Barry looks at all this in amazement.

FATHER BARRY:

(to one rejected man)

What do you do now?

The man shrugs, too beaten down to answer. Father Barry asks Luke:

What are you gonna do?

LUKE:

(bitterly)

Like he says. Come back tomorra.

Luke goes along with Father Barry, who approaches Moose and Tommy, who

have also been rejected.

FATHER BARRY:

Is this what you do, just take it like this?

MOOSE:

(carefully looking around and lowering his voice

matter-of-factly)

Five straight mornin's I been

Standin' here and the bum looks right through

me. There's always a couple hundred left standin'

in the street.

TOMMY:

(undertone)

Shh. Sonny's over there.

FATHER BARRY:

And there's nothing you can do?

How about your union?

MOOSE:

(in an undertone)

You know how a blackjack

local works, Father. Get up in a meetin', make a

motion, the lights go out, you go out.

TOMMY:

If three guys talk on a corner, Johnny's—

(He takes a careful look around.)

—boys break us up. Look at 'em.

FATHER BARRY:

Didn't the miners— sailors—

garment workers— get rid of this years ago?

TOMMY:

The waterfront's tougher— like it ain't

part of America. Anywhere else you got the law

protectin' ya. Here ya just get knocked off and

forgotten. Like—

(He stops.)

LUKE:

(frightened)

Shh, not here, across the street.

MOOSE:

River Street, you might as well be in—

Sonny and Truck move in.

SONNY:

What is this, a church picnic? Get outa

here. Excuse me, Father.

They all start away from the pier.

MOOSE:

(looking to see if he is out of earshot)

That's how it's been ever since Johnny and

his cowboys took over the local.

TOMMY:

Name one place where it's even safe to

talk.

FATHER BARRY:

(impulsively)

Use the church.

LUKE:

What?

FATHER:

(after a significant pause)

The bottom of the church.

Father Barry has spoken in a normal voice,as contrasted with the

whispering of the others, and they all look off toward Sonny and Truck

to see if they have heard.

CLOSE—ON SONNY

Watching them suspiciously.

BACK TO FATHER BARRY, EDIE AND GROUP

MOOSE:

(still in an undertone)

You know what you're letting yourself

in for, Father?

FATHER BARRY:

Got a cigarette on you?

(As he is given one, he looks off)

MEDIUM SHOT—SONNY

From Father Barry's angle.

MEDIUM CLOSE—FATHER BARRY

FATHER BARRY:

(his voice decisive)

You heard me boys. Use the bottom of the church.

Father Barry looks at Edie.

DISSOLVE:

INT—MEDIUM SHOT—PIER LOFT—DAY

In this long area atop the working pier various articles of cargo are

stored. Elderly men work at a leisurely pace.

CLOSE SHOT—PILE OF COFFEE BAGS—DAY

On top of which Terry is lying comfortably reading a comic book.

Charley enters to him.

CHARLEY:

Working hard?

TERRY:

It's a living.

He wriggles himself deeper into the coffee bags.

CHARLEY:

(looking up at him)

You don't mind working

once in a while to justify this lofty position?

TERRY:

I just fnished work. I counted the bags.

CHARLEY:

We got a little extra detail for you. The

local priest and this Doyle girl are getting up a

meeting in the church. We'd like a rundown on it.

You know, names and numbers of all the players.

You're nominated.

TERRY:

(frowns)

Why me, Charley? I'd feel funny

going in there.

CHARLEY:

(indicating this job)

Johnny does you favors, kid. You got to

do a little one for him once in a while.

TERRY:

But going in that church, I'd be stooling

for you, Charley. You make a pigeon out of me.

CHARLEY:

(tolerantly)

Let me explain you something, kid.

Stooling is when you rat on your friends, on

the guys you're with.

(sees Terry frown)

When Johnny needs a favor, don't try to figure it out,

just do it. Now go ahead, join the congregation.

DISSOLVE:

INT—ENTRANCEWAY TO LOWER LEVEL—CHURCH—EVENING

This is an overflow chapel for the church above. There are stained-

glass windows, an altar, pews and the figures of saints, but all is

utter simplicity; it has not lost its basement feeling, and the

unadorned walls and low lighting may suggest the catacombs.

The above is seen from the POV of Terry as he approaches. Inside Father

Barry faces a small group of longshoremen still in their work clothes,

including Nolan, Moose, Tommy, and Luke; Edie sits behind them. A thin-

faced, rather ascetic-looking priest, FATHER VINCENT, sits

disapprovingly in the rear. As Terry stands in the rear, not anxious to

enter, Father Barry is saying:

FATHER BARRY:

(rapidly, with a cigarette in his mouth)

I thought there'd be more of you here, but— the

Romans found out what a handful could do, if it's

the right handful. And the same goes for you and

the mob that's got their foot on your neck. I'm

just a potato-eater but isn't it simple as one - two three?

One— The working conditions are bad.

Two— They're bad because the mob does the hiring.

Three— The only way to break the mob is to

stop letting them get away with murder.

(He looks around at them. Everybody is silent,

waiting.)

If just one of you would answer one question, we'd have a

start.

(pause)

And that question is— Who killed Joey Doyle?

REVERSE—ON GROUP

Silence. Moose looks down at the floor. Nolan works his left fist into

the palm of his right hand. Tommy runs his hand over his face,

embarrassed. Luke stares straight ahead of him. Terry sets his jaw

stubbornly. Edie looks at all of them with a hopeful, pleading

intensity. Father Barry waits, and then asks again—

FATHER BARRY:

Not one of you has a line on—

who killed Joey Doyle?

Silence.

I've got a hunch every one of you could tell us

something about it.

Silence.

Then answer this one— How can we call ourselves

Christians and protect these murderers

with our silence?

Silence. The Father looks from one to the other, hoping for some break

in the ranks. Terry starts down the aisle, just as Edie turns on Tommy.

EDIE:

Tommy Collins, you were Joey's best friend.

How can you just sit there and not be saying anything?

TOMMY:

(miserably)

I'll always think of him as my best friend, but—

He falls silent and shakes his head. Next to him, Nolan notices Terry.

NOLAN:

(muttering to Moose)

Who asked him here?

FATHER BARRY:

(to Terry)

Have a seat. I'm trying to find out just what

happened to Joey Doyle. Maybe you can help.

Terry is tight-lipped.

NOLAN:

(whispering loudly to Moose)

The brother of Charley the Gent. They'll help us get to the

bottom

of the river.

TERRY:

(turnsaround angrily)

Keep Charley out of this.

NOLAN:

(spunkily)

You don't think he'd be— helpful?

TERRY:

(insolently)

Go ask him, why don't you ? Ask

him yourself.

NOLAN:

Maybe I will— one of these days.

TERRY:

(laughs scornfully)

One of these days.

They glare at each other. Edie regards Terry with curiosity.

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